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Bookfest is here! How a poem won hearts and one vote

Mary Kinnunen — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:41:00 CST

Bookfest, now in its 23rd year, is northern Wisconsin's gathering of children's literature and the people who love and teach it. Brainchild of Rhinelander Library Kris Adams Wendt, it takes place at the Quality Inn this Tuesday and Wednesday (March 9 and 10) and is open to the public.

Part X: Keys to the City & Other Mayoral Decisions

Mary Kinnunen — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:00:00 CST

Mary Kinnunen's term as Mayor of Rhinelander involved handing out Mayoral Directives and Keys to the City, leading to some Interesting Times.

The Inauguration & Dream Bars

Mary Kinnunen — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:30:00 CST

These are indeed Interesting Times, inspiring to poets and cooks alike. Mary Kinnunen shares her inaugural moment and the Dream Bars that graced the occasion. Recipe provided.

Throwing a Punch and Pickle Soup: It's Inauguration Party Time!

Mary Kinnunen — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:00:00 CST

In honor of the boatload of pickles our next President will find himself in, Interesting Times columnist Mary Kinnunen offers up some thoughts and a recipe for your Presidential Inauguration party.

Part IX: Garbage & Other Public Hearings

Mary Kinnunen — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:40:00 CST

Mary Kinnunen continues her reflections on small-town mayoral politics in Interesting Times, in which a smart move about garbage pick-up, she writes, proves to be her Achille's heel.

Part VIII: Other Mayors & an Awkward Joke

Mary Kinnunen — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:40:00 CST

Interesting Times occur when a blonde joke told by a blond mayor is hilarious�but not for the reason the mayor hoped. Mary Kinnunen's latest installment includes a look at how small towns get the short end of state-"shared" revenues.

Part VII: Patriots & Expats on the 4th of July; also, the curious similarities between Mao and Limbaugh

Mary Kinnunen — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:00:00 CST

In this installment of Interesting Times, Mary Kinnunen explores how a casual incident in a foreign land many years earlier gave her hands-on training for being mayor.

Part VI: Bar Charts & a Worm

Mary Kinnunen — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:50:00 CST

In this installment of Interesting Times, Mary Kinnunen describes the early weeks of her tenure as mayor of Rhinelander, in which she takes a tour of the city's facilities and encounters a worm.

Part V: Election Time & Cinnamon Girl

Mary Kinnunen — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:30:00 CST

In the 5th installment of Interesting Times, Mary Kinnunen talks about the surreal aspects of campaigning for mayor: debates, slogans, doing doors and election day.

Part IV: Y2K and Incident Command; or, let them eat sushi

Mary Kinnunen — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 CST

The 4th installment of Mary Kinnunen's Interesting Times, in which she shows how change, for elected officials, is akin to ordering sushi.

Part III: Question & Answer

Mary Kinnunen — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:30:00 CST

The 3rd installment of Mary Kinnunen's Interesting Times as alderman and then mayor of Rhinelander.

Lost & Found

Mary Kinnunen — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:30:00 CST

In the 2nd installment of Interesting Times, Mary rides along with one of Rhinelander's Finest and helps look for a missing sidearm.

Memoirs of a small-town mayor

Mary Kinnunen — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:30:00 CST

NNN is pleased to introduce a new column, "Interesting Times," written by Mary Kinnunen, the mayor of Rhinelander from 2000-02. Kinnunen, a poet, writes a freewheeling, impressionistic memoir in installments that gives a front row view of what it was like to be in the public eye during some very interesting times.